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Elizabeth Peralta, a Laboratory Technician at The Mount Sinai Hospital, lost 55 pounds in five months and reversed her diagnosis of type 2 diabetes with help from The Diabetes Alliance at the Mount Sinai Health System. The Diabetes Alliance offers Mount Sinai staff and patients personalized diabetes education, nutrition, and counseling and support to achieve their health and wellness goals.

The quick turnaround for Ms. Peralta started in July, after a routine physical with her internist, Laurie Edelman, MD, revealed that her blood sugar level had significantly increased over the prior year, resulting in a diagnosis of uncontrolled type 2 diabetes. Dr. Edelman is an Associate Professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Read more

In recognition of Diabetes Awareness Month in November, the Mount Sinai Diabetes Center hosted an educational event for patients, staff, and the community in the Guggenheim Atrium on how to prevent and control diabetes. It included “Viva Fitness” demonstrations and tastings by the Food and Nutrition Department.

There are more than 23 million people in the United States, including 1.6 million in New York State, who have type 2 diabetes, which occurs when the body is resistant to the action of insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas to lower the blood sugar. Type 2 diabetes, which is often associated with obesity, can result in kidney failure, limb amputations, blindness, heart disease, and stroke when blood sugar levels are uncontrolled.

“Many of these individuals who are living with type 2 diabetes and obesity are trying tirelessly to manage their diabetes and blood sugar, but without success,” says Aida Saliby, MD, of the Department of Endocrinology at Beth Israel Medical Center. “They do not respond fully to diet and lifestyle modifications, or they become resistant to the effects of oral medications, requiring additional treatments to manage their disease. Given the severe and growing diabetes epidemic, there is a substantial need to develop new, more effective therapies,” she says.

Mount Sinai physicians, nurses, and diabetes educators participated in the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Diabetes Expo on Saturday, March 9, at the Jacob K. Javits Center. The Mount Sinai team of more than 70 volunteers provided free screenings for blood pressure, weight, blood sugar, and cholesterol, as well as eye exams, to approximately 500 individuals. Physicians were on site to interpret the screening results and discuss how participants could take better control of their diabetes.

Two years before seeking help from physicians at The Mount Sinai Medical Center, Rosemary McGinn, 53, was diagnosed with hypoglycemia. She went everywhere with an arsenal of snacks and juices that she ingested frequently to keep her blood sugar from dropping.

“When my sugar would suddenly crash, it was like I was drunk,” she says. “I would become very combative, not knowing what I was saying, and sway back and forth.”

Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, Director of Mount Sinai Heart, presented landmark research on diabetes and heart disease at the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions 2012. During the conference, the AHA also honored Dr. Fuster with its 2012 Research Achievement Award for his many significant contributions to cardiovascular medicine.

“With a laser-like focus on translational research, Dr. Fuster has added greatly to our understanding of the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease and thrombosis,” says AHA President Donna Arnett, PhD, MSPH. “Among his laboratory’s provocative advancements in medical science are numerous ‘firsts,’ including the original understanding of the role of platelets in heart disease and the revelation that plaque composition plays a crucial role in propensity for a heart lesion to rupture.”

Don’t just take a Weight-and-See approach to losing pounds in 2013. Two-thirds of adult Americans are overweight and one-third are obese. Tip: Exert portion control. A single portion should fit on your palm; a restaurant meal is usually the size of multiple portions. Here are more weight management tips from expert Dr. Robert Yanagisawa. Read more at http://ow.ly/gupUd

Type 2 diabetes, often associated with obesity, is one of the most rapidly emerging health crises in our community. For many years, the goal in treating type 2 diabetes has been to use medication and lifestyle changes to control this chronic disease. Mild disease has been treated with oral medication while injectable insulin was used for more severe disease. Such conventional therapies were used without any intent to cure the underlying diabetes; rather, the therapeutic goal was to achieve medical control of blood sugar levels. Recently, however, there has been a fundamental advance in our understanding of this widespread disease. New data suggest that the use of metabolic surgery – historically used to treat obesity but now used as an intervention for type 2 diabetes – may result in better control of blood sugar, and even in complete remission of the disease.